Pattie Mallette doesn't talk very much about her famous son, Justin Bieber, during interviews.

Pattie Mallette doesn't talk very much about her famous son, Justin Bieber, during interviews.

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LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 18: Singer/producer Justin Bieber (L) and his mother Pattie Mallette arrive at the premiere Of Open Road Films' "Justin Bieber's Believe" at Regal Cinemas L.A. Live on December 18, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) less

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 18: Singer/producer Justin Bieber (L) and his mother Pattie Mallette arrive at the premiere Of Open Road Films' "Justin Bieber's Believe" at Regal Cinemas L.A. Live on December 18, ... more

Photo: Kevin Winter, Staff

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Justin Bieber's mom shares story of hope

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Pattie Mallette's fans once knew her only as Justin Bieber's cool, pretty and disarmingly young mom. But when Mallette shared her faith and her life's struggles in a book last year, something shifted. Some of those teen and pre-teen fans now tell her she's changed their lives.

"Sometimes at a book signing, I'll have girls come up and show me their scars where they used to cut (themselves) and say, 'Your story helped me stop cutting,' " Mallette said. "That's an incredible feeling."

Mallette cut herself when she was a teenager, too; it's one of many things she endured, including abuse, alcoholism and the struggles of being a dirt-poor, single teenage mom.

The baby she had at 17 grew up to be an international pop phenomenon. Bieber's megafame has given her a platform, and Mallette uses it to share the story of "healing journey." She'll share some of her history in Houston Thursday night as the featured speaker at Girls' Night Out, an event for women sponsored by Christian radio station KSBJ.

Mallette found faith at age 17, when she was hospitalized after a suicide attempt.

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"I didn't believe in God" then, Mallette said. "I was angry, I was hurt, and in my desperation I just cried out. And you know, I experienced something I just couldn't deny. It sent me on a journey, figuring out: Do I have a purpose and a plan?"

Mallette does not talk about her famous son in interviews, but many of his fans have become her fans as well. She has nearly 3 million Twitter followers, many of them teens who ask for advice.

Last year Mallette released a version of her book, "Nowhere But Up: The Story of Justin Bieber's Mom," designed especially for a teen and pre-teen audience.

"I went through years of abuse and so many things that, unfortunately, a lot of people can relate to," Mallette said. Her parents divorced when she was 2; her father died when she was 9. Mallette was sexually abused from a young age and took up drinking and drugs in her teens.

In those awful early years, when she met someone who'd suffered the same depression and anxiety and had survived, "it really gave me a lot of hope," she said. "That's part of what I want to do, too: just share where I've been and what I've been through."

At events such as Girls' Night Out, Mallette shares her personal story and urges listeners to embrace the faith and forgiveness she has found. Young girls have responded to her stories the most. But Mallette said she also hears from parents who say they can relate - even though they don't have international pop stars in the family.

"I don't know that I'm so much trying to tell parents how to raise their kids," she said. She doesn't share a lot of personal stories about her son or use their relationship as an example for others. "It's really about my healing journey," she said.

Last year Mallette spoke to a group of young men in Los Angeles' Watts neighborhood, teens who had seen a lot of violence and suffering. She told them about her own teen years - how she survived rape and abuse, drinking and drugs and, when she hit bottom, found God.

"Even some of the young men (said), 'Who knew I could relate to Justin Bieber's mom's story?' " she said. "But they did."